"Watching the sunset from above, whilst below ... cotton season in full swing, is possibly one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. Except now when I fly over town it isn't surrounded by a sea of white, rather I stop myself from looking outside the window because beneath I see the struggle and hopelessness of my community."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Elka Devney's powerful words, describing her experience with drought in Moree, formed part of the promotional material for the recent NSW Youth Drought Summit.
The Moree Secondary College student and fellow classmate Brennan Cumberland were two of 88 delegates, aged from 14 to 25, chosen to take part in UNICEF Australia's three-day NSW Youth Drought Summit, held at Lake Macquarie on October 9 to 11.
The summit provided an opportunity for young people impacted by drought to get together with decision-makers to discuss the challenges they face living with drought in NSW and how responses can be improved.
"We got to ask questions and have our voices and opinions and stories heard," Elka said.
"It was very mental health-based."
While neither Elka nor Brennan live on their land, both their fathers work within the agricultural industry in Moree and know all too well the toll the drought is taking on the community.
"As long as farmers are affected by drought, communities are affected as well," Brennan said.
"Some communities are completely based on agriculture, and once that goes, communities go too."
While at times the discussion was heated as delegates fired questions at the panel of decision-makers, including politicians federal Labor spokesman for natural resources Joel Fitzgibbon and state Labor spokesman for water Clayton Barr, both Elka and Brennan said it was great to be able to share their experiences of living with drought with other young people in similar situations and learn about how it is impacting on their peers.
"It helped to learn about everybody's struggles and how it affects their education and all areas of their lives," Brennan said.
"I was really inspired to hear how many kids do share similar stories to what we have and how passionate everyone was," Elka added.
"It gave me hope as well, that we can do better."
And while delegates came from across regional NSW, there were a large number from the New England North West.
Other delegates from across the district and surrounds included Stephanie Kennett from Croppa Creek, Henry Smith from North Star, Rachel Makim from Ashley, Milly Sutherland from Copeton, Jackie Woodward from Warialda and Laura McFarland from Narrabri.
At the end of the three days, the young people presented a call to action with practical solutions to help their drought-stricken communities.
They called for an agreement to be established between the NSW government and Aboriginal communities, elders and young people on water management, and said they want young people to be involved in formal decision-making, as well as to be employed as youth liaison officers.
Other recommendations made by the young people included access to mental health nurses and psychiatrists in every rural hospital, employment schemes for farmers seeking work off their properties, programs that foster greater understanding between urban and regional-based youth and a HECS-style scheme for drought-affected families struggling to pay boarding school fees.
